Mechanism for operating excavator shovels



Sept. 3, 1929.. v G. T. RON K 1,726,770

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING EXGAVA'I'OR SHOVELS I Filed Dec.v14, 1926 I/ld42 1; g V L 22 12 11 10 [.194 1 12 Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE T RONK, OF FAIRFIELD, IOWA, ASSIGNOR T SPEEDER MACHINERY COR-PORATION, 0F CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING EXCAVATOR SHOVELS.

Application filed December 14, 1926. Serial No. 154,757.

The object of my invention 'is to provide a simple, durable andinexpensive mechanism for controlling and operating the shovel of anexcavator.

More specifically it is the object of my invention to provide a simplemechanism for moving what is commonly known as dipper stickslongitudinally through its support, the mechanism for operating saiddipper stick being mounted on the excavator platform rather than on theboom to which the stick support is mounted.

A furtheriobject is to provide an operating and controlling mechanismfor dipper sticks in which no gearing is carried by the boom other thancables and their supporting sheaves, and in which .a single cable drumis employed for handling the cables.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the ob- 'jccts contemplatedare attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in myclaim, and illustrated in tlie accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an excavator showing the manner in whichmy improved mechanism is applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, detail, and elevation of the cable controllingmechanism, one of the brake drums being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the cable controlling mechanism, a portion ofwhich is shown in section.

Figure 4 is an enlarged, detail, sectional view taken on the line 4-4 ofFigure 1.

The numeral 10 indicates the supporting frame of an excavator having aplatform or 40 turn table 11 mounted thereon. The said platform 11 isprovided with an upwardly and forwardly extending boom 12, the upper endof which is provided with a pulley 13. The upper edge of the boom isprovided with a bearing member 14 located midway between its ends, saidbearing member having pivotally mounted therein a guide 15 designed toslidably receive a dipper stick 16 having at ts outer end a shovel ordipper 17. The stick 16 is preferably formed of two spaced membersslidably mounted in the member 15. The guide 15 is pivotally mounted inthe hearing 14 by means of a shaft 18. The said shaft 18 carries adouble grooved sheave 19 mounted between the members 16.

Supported'on the platform 11 is a frame 20 in which is rotativelymounted a shaft 21 provided with a cable drum 22 rotatively mountedthereon. Said drum 22 has a brake drum 23 formed integral therewith.Said drum 23 is provided with a brake band 24 of the ordinaryconstruction, said band being controlled by means of a lever 25pivotally mounted on the frame 21;

The inner face of the brake drum 23 is provided with an internal gear26, while the shaft 21 is provided with a pinion gear 27 rigidly securedthereto. Rotatively mounted on the shaft 21 adjacent to the pinion 27 isa hub 28 designed to carry a disk 29 which carries a brake drum 30 nearits outer edge. Said drum 30 is provided with a brake band 31 controlledby a lever 32. The disk 29 is provided with an inwardly extending lug 33which supports a stub shaft-34 carrying a planetary gear 35 in mesh withboth the pinion 27 and the internal gear 26.

The inner face of the drum 30 is provided with an expanding brake band36, one end of which is pivotally connected to an arm 37 rigidly securedto the shaft 21. The arm 37 is provided with a pivoted lever 38, one endof which is pivotally connected to the other end of the brake band 36,the lever being supported in an inclined radial manner so it may beengaged by a cone shaped collar 39 slidably mounted on the shaft 21, andwhen so engaged will cause the band 36 to be forced into engagement withthe inner surface of the drum 30,

and to cause the said drum and the shaft 21 to rotate in unison. Aspring 40 is provided for releasing the bands from the drum 30 when thecollar 39 is moved out of engagement with the lever 38. A yoke 41 isprovided for operating said collar, one end of the yoke being pivotallymounted to the frame 20, while the other end is provided with a shortlink 42 connected to one end of a bell crank lever 43. The other end ofthe bell crank lever 43 has a link 44 pivotally connected to the lowerend of the lever 32. The said parts are so arranged that when the band31 is caused to engage the drum 30, the lower end of the lever 32 willbe moved inwardly :causing the collar 39 to be moved outwardly and outof engage ment with the lever 38, permitting the band 36 to be released.If the band 31 is released, then the band 36 will be brought top of thesheave 19 and secured to the outer end of the dipper stick 16, while theother end of the cable engages the under surface of the sheave 19 and isattached to the inner end of the dipper stick.

By this arrangement it will be seen that if the drum 22 is rotated inone direction, then the dipper stick will be moved inwardly, but if itis rotated in the opposite directlon, then the dipper stick will bemoved outwardly. This reverse motion is imparted to the drum 22 throughthe gearing mechanism above described, and controlled through themovement of the lever 32. The lever 25 and the band 24 are simply forbraking purposes. If the upper end of the lever 32 is moved outwardly,then the band 31 will be moved to engage the drum 30, and at the sametime the band 36 will be released in the manner before described. Thiswill cause the drum to be held against rotation.

It will be seen that if rotation is imparted to the shaft 21, movementwill be imparted to the drum '22 through the internal gear 26 and theintermediate gear 35, the drum r0tating 1111 311 opposite direction fromthe shaft 21, and at a considerably reduced speed, thus providing meansfor drawing the dipper stick outwardly while the shovel 17 is loaded. Ifthe upper end of the lever 32 is returned to its normal position, inwhich both bands are substantially free from their respective drums,then the weight of the dlpper stick may at certain times cause the drum22 to rotate, the speed of which may be controlled by the band 24 andthe lever 25. By moving the upper end of the lever 32 inwardly, the

' band 31 will be released and the band 36 caused to engage the drum 30,which will then cause the said drum 30 and the arm 37 and the shaft 21to rotate in' unison, the pinion 37 also being rotated. This in turnwill cause the drum 22 to be moved in unison therewith, inasmuch asthere is no relative movement between the gears and 27. The drum 22 willbe rotated at a higher speed than when the lever 32 is moved outwardly,which in turn will cause the dipper stick 16 to be moved inwardly at aconsiderably higher speed than the speed at which it is moved outwardly,at which time the shovel is usually empty. This provides means wherebythe shovel may be easily and quickly moved to its various positions ofmovement, and at the same time support the weight of the cablecontrolling mechanism upon the platform instead of on. the boom as isthe usual practice. A cable 47 is provided for elevating and loweringthe shovel which is controlled by means of a drum 48 of the usualconstruction.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a mechanism for controllingthe dipper stick of an excavator, which is of simple, durable andinexpensive construction, in which the main supporting vweight of thecable actuating mechanism is carried directly by the platform, and inwhich the mechanism for controlling the same is very simple and accuratein its operation. The cable and the dipper stick may be easily andquickly removed if so desired, and the drum 22 utilized to operate aninhaul cable.

I claim as my invention:

In a device of the class described, a shaft therein, a cable drumrotatively mounted on said shaft, an internal gear formed integral withsaid drum, a pinion gear secured to said shaft, a web having internaland external brake drum surfaces, a planetary gear carried by said webin operative relation with said pinion and said internal gear, an armsecured to said shaft, an expandible brake .band having one end pivotedto said arm, a lever pivoted to said arm having one end connected tosaid brake band and its opposite end projecting inwardly toward saidshaft, a cone slidably mounted on said shaft and designed to engage andactuate said arm for expandlng the brake band connected thereto, a brakeband for the external surface of said brake drum, and means foroperatively connecting said cone and the last said brake band.

GEORGE T. RONK.

